Last week we covered some of the Getting Things Done system and how you can prioritize long term tasks. Today we’ll cover some great books and other resources that can help you improve your time and project management. Productivity tools are awesome, you should learn to love them.
Books
First, check out our article on great business books for business owners to read. Those are a great start. Here’s what I’ve got for time and project management above and beyond that:
- Essentialism: I’ll be the first to admit, this author bugs the hell out of me. It feels, at least to me, like he’s constantly name dropping and overstating his position. That being said, the core of this book is phenomenal. The fundamental point of this book is to simplify what you’re working on down to a couple of core things and ignore the rest. It’s nothing earth shatteringly new, but it’s still a well written book that makes a good point.
- The One Thing: This is in a very similar vein to Essentialism. The idea with The One Thing is that you should limit your focus to one thing at a time… and that means one project at a time. My personal stance is that not everyone operates like this author but there are still great lessons to pull. Remember, when you’re reading a book like this they’re telling you what’s worked for them. It might not be the thing that works for you but it’s a good idea to give it a shot.
- First Things First: Stephen Covey was also featured in my previous book list article. He does a great job of highlighting simple concepts that we all forget and giving actionable ways to focus on them.
Tools
Next, here are some tools that might work for you with managing longer term projects. Each of us has different work styles and preferences so it might take some searching to find the right thing for you. Here’s a not super organized list of tools that could help you with your longer term project management.
- Asana: Asana is a task and project management software. In my limited user experience it does a great job. You can create and share tasks, set due dates, brainstorm, add in data, create project calendars, and set up waterfalls of tasks where one starts once another is finished. Asana is highly geared towards teams working together on a project. There’s a free version as well as two paid tiers; start with the free and see if you like it.
- Trello: Trello is a similar project management tool. It’s a little more basic, and uses a different style that could be better for individuals but might not be as good for teams. If you’re working on projects for yourself and want a great, central place for all of your tasks Trello could make sense.
- XMind: XMind is a mind mapping software which includes some free options. Mind mapping is a type of organization that could be very, very well suited to the project creation phase of the Getting Things Done Essentially, you start with a core concept in the middle and then draw out branched, grouped ideas that relate to that core concept. You can learn more about mind mapping here.
- Evernote: Evernote is the tool that I probably use the most. It’s a great notebook style software. You can collaborate on notes, it’s easily searchable, and it’s easy to add images. I really like Evernote for storing random thoughts, article outlines, task lists,
- Accountability partner: This isn’t a piece of software but is literally a person who you partner with. You should find someone who also needs to get tasks done and could use some external motivation. My accountability partner is another financial planner. We meet each week, cover what we accomplished the week before, and list out what we’re doing in the coming week. It’s a great way to make sure that task don’t drop.
- Excel: Tried and true, Excel can be a great place to store info on projects or even for running an entire task list. If you’re an Excel wizard already I’d highly recommend using it for anything that requires long term tracking or calculation. If not, then Asana or Trello might make for a better starting point.
- Client Relationship Manager/Contact Manager: This is something that’s highly relevant to my industry since we do primarily client work. However, something like this could be useful for broadcasters as well. A CRM/CM is a tool for keeping track of the people you’ve interacted with, store notes, remember important dates, and hold follow up tasks. Something like Insightly or Contactually could work great especially since they have free options. I would picture a broadcaster using this for keeping track of industry contacts and making sure you stay in touch. After all, they’re the ones who can help you with access.
Conclusion
You’re not the first small business owner to struggle with managing and prioritizing longer term projects. These resources should help you build a system that works for you and accelerates your growth.
You don’t have to figure this out alone. This is what we do- help streamers make great money decisions. If that’s something that sounds interesting to you reach out me or schedule some time for a free consult. You can check out what I do here.
